As I promised before in the post about my cameras, here I am with a couple of words about my lenses.
First of all, I love my lenses.
Very much.
Second of all, I just love them.
These are the names of the babies (from left to right): Canon 50mm F 1.8, Tamron Macro 60 mm F 2, Canon 18-55mm (which came as a kit lens with my Canon Rebel T2i camera).
I use the first one (Canon 50mm) to shoot food.
The Tamron 60 mm is great for food too, but since it is a macro lens I use it quite often outside to shoot flowers, bugs or other cute tiny things.
To capture wider angles, I use the Canon 18-55 (the kit lens).
Now let me show you and compare a few interesting features that these lenses possess.
1. Comparison with the Same Settings
Each of these shots was taken with a different lens. To make the comparison most accurate I kept the same settings for each shot. All pictures were taken at 5.6 aperture and they are not edited at all.
Though that last thing was a bit hard to digest.
I find these images pretty similar in their appearance. Maybe just the last one is a little colder in colors (has more blue tones in it) than the other two.
But there’s more to compare…
2. Lowering the Aperture (Blurry Background)
Well, who doesn’t like a nice blurry background.
That really injects the magic into the pictures, doesn’t it?
The part of the lens which provides for the blurriness of the picture is called the aperture (if you are not that familiar with this term you can find a little more about it here).
I love to use low aperture settings, especially for the food shots.
The kit lens that came with the camera (Canon 18-55mm) has the lowest aperture number of 5.6 (the second picture of this post shows you the result).
But I knew that there was a whole new world of possibilities when you go lower than 5.6.
So there came a moment in my life when I felt that I couldn’t go a day longer without a proper low aperture lens. That was when I got these two:
This picture was taken with the Canon 50mm at its lowest aperture – F 1.8.
See the blurry background? And how little portion of the picture is actually in focus? So that is caused by the low 1.8 aperture setting.
Again, this picture could really benefit from some vigorous Photoshop treatment, but this post is not about that.
This is a shot taken with the Tamron 60mm at 2.0 aperture (which is its lowest aperture number).
I like the blurriness of the background a lot.
In this aspect, these two lenses produce very similar results.
Also, these two lenses are prime, which means that you cannot zoom in or zoom out. In other words, they have fixed focal length. But that thing is perfectly all right – it makes you move a little more and stretch your body quite often which, I guess, is a nice health supporting benefit.
If the low aperture setting had been the only feature that I wanted for my pictures I would only have acquired the Canon 50mm lens. That one was much cheaper than the Tamron 60mm.
But I also needed Tamron. Have a look why…
3. Getting Closer to the Subject
This is closest that the Canon 50mm allows you to get to the subject.
If you go closer, the lens cannot focus anymore.
This is how close the Tamron 60mm allows you to get.
Amazing detail!
I often use this feature when taking pictures in my kitchen – spices, sugar or cake structure, that all looks perfectly detailed.
I love it!
So these are my beloved lenses.
I hope this information helped you.
At least a little.
… and psst, don’t tell this to my boyfriend
There’s also this cutie!
It’s the Canon 75-300mm telephoto zoom lens.
I frequently steal this one from my boyfriend to capture…
… squirrels …
… or baby orangutans, or basically anything that happens to be far away from me.
I think I love this lens much more than my boyfriend does and I also use it way more often.
So who really has the moral right to own it, I ask?
I think it’s me, I answer.
Definitely, it’s me!
It fills the last free space in my camera bag perfectly, anyway.
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Loved the post! Love your selection and usage of lenses. Very informative and I loved the photo demonstrations! Great job.
omg @ baby chimp. love!!!!
Hello dear Petra! 🙂
I like your lenses and photographs too 😉
I have got a Canon 60mm Macro 2.8, it’s my favourite objective! Oh, I love it…! 🙂
Petra
Hello Petra!
So many similarities! Love it! 😉
Have a wonderful weekend!
Petra
Yeah! It’s good! 😉
And I saw that you like Hungary! I’m Hungarian… ;))
Nice weekend to you too!
Petra
That’s amazing! We really love Hungary and travel there very often. It’s a beautiful country! 🙂 Petra
Great!
Have the 50mm and a 60mm (both canon) and love them! Most the 50mm. It is cheap and makes astonishing pictures!!!
I love this post as I am really getting serious in learning photographing. Your pics are always beautiful 🙂
I like returning to your blog not only because your photos are gorgeous and your recipes delicious, but also because your joy and passion for photography are positively infectious.
May I ask, PÃÅ¡eÅ¡ zo Slovenska?
Áno, píšem! Ako si uhádla? 😉
“Hravosť” na mňa z obrázka vyskočila 🙂
Už sa mi niečo raz zamarilo – myslím, keď som čítala tvoj recept na varené víno. Ale to som si sama sebe vyhovorila, že to sa mi určite iba zdá. Tentokrát som sa však nemohla nespýtať. Oni totiž všetky tie tarotové karty majú slovenské názvy.
Veľmi ma teší, že som našla tvoj blog. Zbožnujem každý jeden príspevok (a potichučky ti závidím bezchybnú angličtinu).
Ahoj Janka, taka som rada, ze si ma objavila. To je super vediet, ze aj nejaky Slovak ma cita. Cool! A ty si na Slovensku, ci v zahranici? 🙂 Petra
Ja som kanadska Slovenka momentalne zijuca v USA. A velmi ma tesi, ze som nasla niekoho tak talentovaneho ako teba, kto je – ciste nahodou – tiez Slovakom. Anglictinu si sa naucila doma, alebo si tiez zila daky ten rocik v zahranici?
Slinky sa mi zbiehaju po zhliadnuti receptu na horucu cokoladu. A uz sa neviem dockat receptu (a fotiek) na sosovicovu polievku 🙂
…jeeej, tak ty si v USA, to je super. Ja som sa zatial do anglicky hovoriacej krajiny na dlhsie ako 2 tyzdne nedostala, ale snad raz – ja mam strasne rada Anglicko a vsetko, co sa tej krajiny tyka. Asi som tam zila v minulom zivote a mozno preto ma aj ta anglictina tak strasne bavi. A inak, ta sosovicova polievka – tentokrat planujem taku specialnu na indicky sposob, nie celkom tu nasu. Ale ta raz pride urcite tiez. Este raz, som velmi rada, ze si nasla tento blog. Prajem ti prekrasny vikend! 🙂 Petra
Hello
First time a ur space via foodgawker. N girl I was here for soft garlic knots but ur other great posts esp ones on ur camera n photography techniques kept me glued to my computer for so long…. Mu hubby recently gifted me a Canon 550D n goin thru all ur wonderful posts was such a great help …
Will keep visiting u often for ur great tips !!!
Hi Smita! I’m very glad I helped! I will try my best to continue 😉 I wish you the best time using your new camera and I’m sure you’ll love it. Have a wonderful day! 🙂 Petra
Hello!
Is the 75-300 fairly easy to use without a tripod?
I’d say it is…fairly easy to use without a tripod. 🙂 Petra
Great post, by the way I end it up getting the camera 🙂 with the 50mm lense, love, love, love it now I just have to read through the manual 🙂
I am Miryam by the way, from eatgood4life.blogspot.com blog, though it would come on the post above 🙁
I stumbled upon your site today! Wonderful! I love your everyday termed explanation of the lenses!
Oh my word! I’m happy.
Coz, I just found your blog and am stalking all your photography and food posts. I also got the 550D earlier this year and it is awesome – but I am dying for more lenses. A good wide angle and telephoto lens. Love the fixed focal 50mm lens too, but now I want that Tamron 60mm for the close detail.
I love the fun and cheekness to your blogs. I too started out with a point and shoot. then upgraded to a nikkon 80d then to a cannon xti. My next one is hopefully a 7d cross my fingers. My learning curve after getting bitten by the bug of course drives me to get all kinds of goodies lens hoods, speedlite systems and now reflectors. keep up the good work photos are looking amazing. Much love from Alaska.
Thank you Martin! Good luck with the 7d. 🙂 Petra
7d?
Canon 7d – a terrific camera. 🙂 Petra
Wow! Just google’d the 7d. Looks terrific. So expensive though. I’m still paying off my t2i lol. Hope you get one soon Martin and be sure to share some of your images with us.
I have been starting to print my photos in larger format and thast when every pixel counts.I cant wait and yes i will def share some images . I am also starting to love the lenses many what a difference the right lens makes. The T2i is a great camera
I was just thinking then why buy 50mm? 60 mm is better no?
I like Tamron 60mm a lot, I use it much more often than Canon 50mm. 🙂 Petra
Hi Petra,
Love your blog..regularly following your each post…jus love your blog.
I would like to ask you one thing.I have Nikon D5000.Which lenses should I use ???can you help me???
Thanks & Regards.
mau
Hi Mau!
Thanks for your very very nice words! I appreciate it and I appreciate your visits too.
As a Canon camera owner, I do not really know much about the Nikon lens world. But, generally, to shoot food, I recommend a prime lens, 50 or 60mm. Macro lenses are great for capturing detail. So prime and macro.
But, I also have to add that nowadays cameras have really good kit lenses. I often shoot with my kit lens only and I usually like the results a lot.
I hope I’ve helped a little
Have a great time using your camera!
Love,
Petra 🙂
Hey babe. Thanks for the post about lenses! I’ve a Canon 50mm 1.4 (prime) and I was wondering if its any diffierent from a 50mm macro lens?
I would love some help and advice on photographing crochet blankets? I’m having so many issues with it (although it’s probably my skills & our lack of any decent lighting).
😀 this is such a lovely post